No risk, no reward
by DragonXborn
Summary: After the fall and Weiss's return to Atlas, emotions run high and the heiress finds herself in a downward spiral after everything that happened at Beacon. Hopeful, she convinces her sister Winter to help her train; eager to please, Weiss ends up with more feelings for her sister than she bargained for. Co-written between Dragonxborn and Forkanna. TW: Incest
1. Winter's Return

RWBY characters © Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (rest in peace). Story/plot © Dragonxborne and Jessica X. All rights reserved.

WARNING: Incest. Power plays. NSFW in later chapters.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: Winter's Return

Though it had been almost a week, Weiss still had trouble believing her father had dragged her all the way back to Atlas. There was nothing for her there; nothing but supposed "safety" behind the forbidding walls of the Schnee Dust Company's central office. Every second since landing, she had felt claustrophobic. This was not her home; no longer. That was Beacon Academy, as far as she was concerned.

Even if Beacon was no more. Every day, she lay in her bed and thought of how the school had been invaded and desecrated, and it boiled her blood. The White Fang and all their goons would have to pay for their misdeeds. Someday.

For now, she merely went back and forth between her room and the dining room, trying to encounter as few people as possible — servants, or family. Especially the latter.

From down the way came the sounds of heels clicking together, a standard part of the salute that was so often thrown around when general ironwood was around. However this time they called out "Ma'am"

A second set of heels clicking echoed down the halls, as Winter Schnee made her way around the familiar territory.

"Let my father know I have arrived at once. Set up a meeting with all available guardsmen. I want to make sure they are up to my standards, and where is my sister?" She inquired finally looking around. Winter assumed Weiss would be out training, but hadn't seen her on her way in.

That voice was enough to make the younger sibling quicken her pace. Even worse than talking to her father would be talking to her sister at this moment. Disapproval of her meager summoning skills and a lot of posturing... that was no recipe for healing. It was just irritating.

"Last I saw her Ma'am she was in her room!" One of the men present snitched.

"At this hour?" Winter retorted.

She didn't wait for him to respond, instead she waved off her two accompanying men and cantered down the hall towards the room she knew quite well.

The tall woman didn't yell down the hall, even if she caught the tail end of her sister's hair rounding the corner. No, there was no need. She would catch up and she would get her answers.

Because of her sister's lack of concern, Weiss made it to her room and pulled the door shut without incident. She felt somewhat guilty for trying to avoid conversation, especially since Winter had been so kind and offered constructive criticism. But it couldn't be helped when she had such a sparkling track record. Refusing Winter asking to tutor her was like flushing Dust; a waste of resources.

A firm, but nonthreatening knock rapped on the door, followed by a stern voice.

"Weiss. I am aware of the situation at hand, I require you open this door and speak with me at once. Do not make me open it for you."

"Can't we do this another time?" she called back. This pained her so much; ordinarily, she would leap at the chance to speak with her sister, but all that had happened on her campus had changed the situation. She no longer felt like herself; she felt like the barely-an-adult she had become within those last few months. Confronted with the weigh if the world and with no one to call for help.

"No, I have time for this now, So now is when this will happen. Last chance, open the door Weiss." Her tone was still firm, but oddly nonagressive towards her sister. Not like it was with most of the people she barked orders at. There was a softer edge to it when she addressed Weiss.

As much as Weiss respected her, wanted to impress her with her maturity and prowess on the battlefield, it was still with a sigh that she unlocked and opened the door for her.

"Alright. What is the matter?"

Without further reply, Winter stepped into the room. Arms clasped behind her back she looked her sister up and down before griping her shoulders and sliding her hands down her arms. She raised a brow and continued to walk around her like a predator stalking prey before it pounces.

"I don't understand." SHe spoke plainly giving little hint as to what her confusion consisted of. Coming to stand in front of her sister once more, her arms reclasped in her proper pose.

A simple shrug. "Don't understand what?" The temptation to say "neither will I until you explain yourself" was strong, but hey sister wasn't much for humour. Of any kind.

"You are not injured as far as I can see, yet you are cooped up in here." She gestured to the entirety of the room. "Instead of being useful and spending your time wisely while laying low."

"Have you suffered some sort of debilitating blow I can not see? You seem to be walking just fine since you can readily avoid me. Or is your lack of excuse why you are avoiding me?"

Again, she felt each word like a string from a rapier wasp. Her mind went to her missing teammates... to Ruby and Blake, and poor, poor Yang. They all had it so much worse than her, and yet the pain of losing them was overwhelming.

"Some injuries aren't visible, she replied at last.

"It hurts doesn't it. Emotions are running high. Pain felt in your very core. The losses. The adreneline from battle. The memories that play over and over in your head. It's like a never ending set of nails raking down your chest isn't it?" Winter asked. Her voice was lower than it had been. Never once did her gaze faulter from staring her sister down.

"That's exactly how it is," Weiss breathed, lowering her eyes from Winter's. The elder sister was so intent on helping her through this, so forceful and self-assured, that she wanted to simply lap up her words obediently and believe all of them. But after all she had seen...

" And keeping yourself cooped up, this does all of those lost friends a justice?" Not once had she changed her position, never crossed her arms, never slackened her posture, stick straight, prim and proper, like a robot trying to help. "Locking your self away and doing nothing brings so much honour to their loss doesn't it?"

Again, she flinched. "Well... it doesn't. But I also don't know how much good it does them to train every day when I'm only going to be stuck in Atlas." She sighed, looking off to one side. "Father thinks he can protect us here... doesn't he realise that there's nowhere safe anymore?"

"Training is never a waste of time Weiss. Had you had a little more, had your skills been a little sharper, had you had just enough than you did- think of how many people would be a live right now. Training even once a day sharpens your skills and the sharper they are the better -you- are." Winter's face softened a little as she looked down at her sister. "And you know as well as I.. you are far to stubborn and resourceful to stay trapped on atlas."

But Weiss's eyes were already widening. She had fixated on something Winter said other than the tail end of that, which was complimentary.

"You... is it really my fault? That Penny and Pyrrha..."

"You misunderstand because you are looking for someone to blame. Penny had nothing to do with you, and you sent the better fighter up to save Pyrrha. Ruby, even as fast as she is- was not enough to save her either. What came to pass was unfortunate and no one's direct fault except Cinder's. I simply wish to bring to your attention the difference it could have made if everyone's skill level had been just a bit higher. It was not, and that is unfortunate, however the same argument could be made for things like how different would it have been if I myself had been present. This is called circumstance Weiss. It is uncontrollable in the grand scheme of things, but you can combat it by constantly being the best you can be and furthering your skill."

The younger girl looked off and to one side as she took that in. Of course Winter was right; it was the same lesson both she and her father had been drilling into her head ever since she was old enough to hold a sword. But she had been training every day up until the battle at Beacon, and where had it got her? Barely good enough to save Velvet from meeting the same fate as two of her other friends. It felt like she was losing an uphill battle, and fighting would only slow down her descent.

"Will you teach me?" she finally asked in a meek voice. "I've tried it on my own for so long, tried just using yours and Father's advice, and I... it's not enough. I'm not good enough!"

Winter's expression and posture softened for a moment just before she replied.

"There is an old saying, there is always a bigger fish. There will always be someone better. Always be someone stronger. It is because of this we train, we get better. You simply met your bigger fish. It's existence was simply a fact, and unfortunate one, but it was. It is important to learn from our mistakes but we can not dwell on what ifs. You need to take these short comings and work on them, not dwell on them. Take these circumstances and -change- them. The past is done, but you can make sure it doesn't repeat itself. " She paused for just a moment. With everything going on, she'd have little time to spare between working her own duties. " I will train you. It will be on my time, and you must be willing to drop everything at a moment's notice. I will have no whining. You will work hard, or you will find another teacher. Am I understood?"

A new determination crept into her face. Raising her hand in the rare salute, she replied, "Yes, Ma'am, Winter, ma'am!" But after she had done so, she smiled very slightly. She didn't dare while saluting; she didn't want her sister to view it as being sarcastic. But her excitement to be training with her sister again for the first time in a few years was too much for her to keep entirely suppressed.

"Good. Get yourself something to eat and be ready in one hour." Her tone was back to strickt again. She took a single step forward towards her sister. "And Weiss." She spoke, sharp and clear.

"Yes?" she asked deferentially, the smile fading again so that she was a composed picture of professionalism. The tone told her anything less would disappoint her sister greatly.

Without warning, winter embraced her sister. Arms wrapped tightly around her.

"...I'm so glad you're safe..."

That completely took her by surprise. The last few times she had hugged Winter, it had been stiff and formal; the sentiment from her words was genuine, but she didn't put any emotion into the hug. But it seemed learning Weiss had been in genuine danger, had friends and comrades-in-arms die while she fought on the same battleground...

"Winter," she breathed sadly, clinging back. "I am, too. And you, though... I know my big sister can handle anything that comes her way. Doesn't stop me from worrying, no matter how perfect you are."

She pulled back, keeping her hands on Weiss' shoulders.

"Emotions are important and they can fuel you in battle... but remember to keep a clear head... worry for one person can cause both you and them danger if not controlled." Winter had faced this first hand while learning of the attack on beacon. It had taken her years of training to keep herself poised and not deviate for the sake of saving her sister. At the time she had had to trust that Weiss was as brilliant as she thought she was, and could make it out of there on her own. With no surprise from the elder, she had.

"you...You did well..Weiss."

She hadn't been there, but Winter had heard from Ironwood just how dangerous the battle field had been. Now she was letting her mind reel with what ifs, and had to stop it immediately. "One hour." She simply spoke after a moments pause, and with that she turned from Weiss and headed towards the door she had entered through moments ago.

And Weiss would be ready. Given new purpose to distract herself from what-ifs and thoughts of her teammates that were so far away, she prepared herself to do battle again. Winter would expect nothing less from a training session.

Fifty-eight minutes later, with a light snack of toast and jam in her stomach, Weiss entered the training room, dressed in her combat skirt and with Myrtenaster slung at her hip. This was the outfit she was most used to practising in; any other would have taken getting used to, and give her opponent an unfair advantage. There was no sense in giving that up before they even started.

When Weiss entered the room Winter was already there, standing at the far end, hands clasped behind her back.

"Good. You're on time." She simply spoke. "Show me the basic sword forms one through four."

"Yes, master!" She knew when they practiced sword-fighting of any kind, she was expected to address her formally in this way, rather than "ma'am" or anything more familiar. It had been beyond irritating to her when she was young, given that the sisters were only a few years apart in age, but now she accepted it as part of the routine.

And so Weiss set to work, effortlessly moving through the forms. A whimsical smile pulled at her lips as she did form three, remembering a six-year-old version of herself crying when she couldn't quite pull it off. Winter had only told her in a stern voice that she could try again; it wasn't the comfort she had been yearning for, but it was what she needed.

"Excellent form." She commented. "We must never forget the basics, where we started. Where we came from. No matter how far you come, or how great you are, it is arrogant and distasteful to forget ground zero. It is the greatest equalizer we poses. The term "everyone start's somewhere." Ground zero is the first step in every warriors journey and we must never forget it."

Again, she called out, "Yes, master!" as she powered through the last few strokes of fourth form. Even when she was glowing with pride from Winter's comments, or worried about her friends, or anything else, she seldom lost focus on her fighting form. No matter what other shortcomings she had, the ability to focus during battle had been ingrained so deeply within her that it was simply part of her soul now.

"Good. Return to center." Winter commanded. "Your focus is fantastic, your form is excellent. Lets work on your summoning. This can make all of the difference in battle. Being alone and having something to watch your back can be the difference between defeating your enemy or losing a limb."

Wincing at the freshly-sore memory of Yang's loss, Weiss rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen up and prepare herself for summoning practice. It had made all the difference in the world during her last battle; pretending otherwise would only be foolish and water everyone's time.

" good. Stay relaxed. Think to your fallen enemies. Each one a single step in your journey. You've come so far because of them and now they are going to help you again. Only this time. You need it more than you think." She simply stated, as. She pulled her own sword from her side. " this will be painful if you don't summon"

A thrill of dread shot through her. She knew Winter wouldn't hesitate to make good on that ominous promise. Readying her blade, she began to channel her semblance into that chamber in her mind where she knew the patterns of though would lead to bringing out the only summoning that had so far been successful: the giant armour.

Winter was pleasantly surprised when she saw her sisters glif appear and turn into what appeared to be an armoured arm. With a smirk on her face she summoned two beowolves and ordered them forward. "Attack!"

Gripping the blade of her sword, Weiss channeled as much of her inner power as was possible into swinging the arm at the two offending ghostly objects. One, she caught a piece of and sent spiralling away, while the other was missed entirely. Gritting her teeth, she tried to regroup as fast as was possible for her untrained ability level.

"You're using far to much energy to control your summons." She commented. " it should be as effortless and simple as moving your own body." She watched as the second beo turned and went in for a second attack.

"Yes, m-master!" she managed to grind out as she turned, slashing at the second one. Again, she missed, but did cause it to have to veer off its intended course and away from her. The movements were easier than the last few times she had managed a summoning, but still sluggish and a strain compared to how easy it was for Winter.

Two more gliffs appeared and then two more beos. "Don't think. React."

A lot of effort went into keeping herself from shouting, "I'm trying!" Too much effort. This time, she did manage to destroy one of the two new beos completely, but her chosen form of attack left her open to the older one knocking her in the middle of her back and down to her knees.

"Stop!" Winer called, just as the ghostly creature raised a massive clawed paw for a final blow. Both remaining creatures returned to her side. " you're dead."

"I..." Her fists clenched on the floor. "I am, aren't I?" Thoughts of Pyrrha welled up in her mind; though she hadn't seen it firsthand, the way Ruby did before she was mysteriously found unconscious, there was no way she could have survived.

Plus, she had seen the burning ashes swept away by the strong breeze, off to parts unknown. That definitely looked like Cinder's work.

"Fortunately for you. You get to try again. On your own. I must attend a meeting with father. You are to practice wielding your summon. Practice till it's second nature."

"Oh..." Her heart sank as she watched Winter walk away, and she hastily scrambled to her feet, sword at the ready. "I'm sorry, master; I'll do my best to be a more fitting pupil for when you return."

"Good. I expect nothing less." Winter replied dismissively.

"Yes, master."

As Winter moved to the door, she took more deep, calming breaths, trying to find the center she needed to utilise to bring the arm of her guardian back into being. But now, she was having trouble; losing to her sister rattled her nerves more than she cared to admit.

"All I want to do is make you proud of me," she whispered under her breath.

One of the summoned beos stood before Weiss, its expression was soft. It let out an encouraging hum before dissipating into the air. Winter knew Weiss could do this. She just had to work hard.

~To Be Continued


	2. Weak, Never More

CHAPTER TWO: Weak, Never More

A flustered Weiss pelted through the hallways of her home, a piece of toast hanging from between her teeth as she struggled into her jacket. She was going to be late! It was the last thing she wanted, especially after Winter had so graciously agreed to train her further, but her scroll's alarm didn't go off as she planned. It had this problem of flipping AM to PM without reason or notice, and she'd been meaning to contact customer service…

But she couldn't, because the CCT tower in Vale was still down. She would have to go into the local ScrollStore and get it taken care of in person. The far-reaching effects of the tower's destruction were going to be felt for quite some time, until they could amass an effort to rebuild.

Finally, the younger sister burst into the training room, toast crumbs on her cheeks and looking only very slightly disheveled compared to her normal pristine appearance. Given that she had gone from asleep to ready for training in a mere twenty minutes, she thought she had done quite well.

Winter was standing at the far corner, eyes trained on her scrolls clock.

"You're late," she said matter-of-factly. She looked her sister up and down and raised a brow. "You look like you just fought twenty grim. Next time I want you presentable, or there will be consequences. Now, fix your hair, and let's begin."

Winter had no time for Weiss to be playing around with her. She was on a strict schedule and it was lucky she could make time for Weiss at all.

"When last I left you, I told you to work on your summoning's movement and application to battle. Let's see how far you got."

Pulling her sword, Winter summoned a nevermore. A total change from the beowolves she had called last time. Nevermores were eight times more dangerous, but she needed to really test her sister.

As she had expected, Weiss's eyes shot wider, still in the middle of pulling her side-ponytail tighter. But she quickly finished that up and fell to position, drawing Myrtenaster in a flash.

"Yes, master! Ready to begin!"

Winter was silent for just a moment before she spoke two very clear, very dark words.

"Kill her."

Her intention wasn't really to kill her younger sister, but more to scare Weiss into being more efficient with her summons. To draw out that hidden talent Winter knew she had. Under the hardest, scariest situations, Weiss had always been able to pull this ability from within herself to accomplish things she didn't know she could do - and it's for this reason Winter had chosen to use that. Once Weiss had seen what she was able to do, it would be less likely for her to throw a tantrum and quit.

The first thing Weiss did was to squeak, "WHAT?!" Following that, of course, she went straight into a battle mindset. Even though she was sometimes a brat in general, that was one way she had earned a wealth of respect: she always knew how to get serious when a fight was at hand.

Raising Myrtenaster, she first sent a freezing blast at the nevermore. If she began summoning now, she would never have enough time to complete the procedure before a beak was closing around her body. The winter white grim was forced to deviate from its straight shot towards Weiss, turning around to circle instead for a second shot - giving Weiss the time she needed.

The elder sibling watched carefully, taking note of Weiss's actions, her reaction speed, her ability to make split second choices and their effectiveness. She had chosen to buy herself some time instead of overestimating her summoning speed. A wise and well-planned action in the older sister's book.

One thing people often mistook Winter for was believing her sister was weak. That wasn't true at all. Winter knew very well the kind of talent and raw skill Weiss possessed, and it was because of that the older woman pushed her so hard. She had no patience for her sister's whining because to her it was a waste of time, and unwarranted by the younger who could do it, if she'd shut up and really try.

And Weiss was doing exactly that. Feet planted wide apart, her other hand was clutching the foil-blade of her sword, using it as a grounding method, concentrating. The summoning portal was already open overhead, which was an improvement in speed...

But nothing came. Sweat was breaking out across her forehead from the effort of trying to channel her aura into the action, but still no summoning. Why wasn't it happening today?

The nevermore was back on track, headed right for the younger girl with blazing speed. All four eyes fixated on its target as its razor sharp beak aimed for her chest.

Of course this meant little to Winter, either Weiss summoned to save herself or she took a hit that would require she see the family doctor, but either way Weiss would learn something.

At the last second, Weiss executed a roll to the side, abandoning the summoning process. This unfortunately meant a complete loss of the aura she had been channeling into the action, but it did at least save her from injury-

Almost entirely. The beak of the nevermore did manage to clip her calf, and she winced at the hot feeling of blood along it as she came to her feet, turning and immediately resuming her summoning stance.

Subtle disappointment ebbed in Winter's mind to see the girl abandon her summons for a dodge. Not that it wasn't the best option, it was more her inability to summon altogether that brought on the displeased air about her.

"You've done this twice now Weiss, stop playing like a child and summon your defense or see your injuries become much worse." She gave no signs of slowing the nevermore down, she would show her sister no weakness, there would be no going easy on her.

"Y-yes, master!" she managed to growl distractedly. Again, the portal overhead pulsed with life, but nothing emerged. What was wrong with her?

But as the nevermore circled back for a renewed attack, she felt the arm emerge the way it had before. Grasping onto that thread of a connection, feeding it, she brought the giant sword up to slash down at the ghostly bird.

The sword caught the astral corvid by the wing, severing it completely and causing the Nevermore to crash land against the cold unforgiving ground. It let out a loud cry just before it began to disappear into the air.

"Had there been more than one you would be dead, Weiss."

"Yes, master... I know." Her head dipped in shame. She wanted to protest, to ask for more validation that she had pulled off a summoning at all, to insist that she had done well... and she would have, if it had been anyone else. But Winter commanded her respect, and she couldn't do anything but agree.

Especially since she was right. Even though she had made significant progress, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough until she managed to summon at least a simple creature fully, instead of one single piece of a more complex one.

"You're still putting too much energy into it." Winter summoned four beowolves effortlessly at the drop of a hat, and stared her sister down.

"Your semblance is part of you. It flows through your veins, it drives your muscles, it fuels your body. Stop trying to summon and just do it. You are not without skill, you are just lazy and don't want to try. Stop focusing so hard on all the reasons why you can't and simply make it happen. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to sic all four of them at you and know you won't get a scratch. The only one holding you back is you."

Tears sprang to Weiss's eyes at the dressing down, but all she said was, "Yes, master." Because Winter was right, and crying would not benefit anyone. Stepping back to her stance and trying not to acknowledge the feeling of blood running down into her boot, she said, "I'll try again."

"No. You won't 'try' again. You will do it." Her tone was very flat, and her expression very stern. Without warning, two of the beos darted from her side right for the younger girl. Teeth bared and razor sharp claws ready for attack.

Attempting to put Winter's advice into practice, she brought up the glyph overhead and tried to just let the armour come forth on its own - making her aura available rather than forcing it through the connection. It seemed ridiculous, like something that could never work... but then again, she had done the initial work of paving its way. Perhaps it would.

And it did. Even though she got no more than the usual arm, at least it came forth with ease. Narrowing her eyes, she sent the sword sweeping down at the two beasts.

The first summoned beo was caught right in the face, taking no time to scatter into the air, while the other managed to dodge. It lunged at the younger girl only to be caught dead center by the blade, and skewered straight through the chest. The elder of the two said nothing, she just sent the next two.

Her aura was flagging; she had never stretched it to these limits before. Weiss found herself going down on one knee, but she was still able to send the sword sweeping sideways at both of the other two creatures.

A clean cut right through both. Winter watched as the two creatures disolved.

"Better summoning. Much better. Good use of it for your battle. However, you need to be working that more often. Remember I told you, it's like a muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it gets. I want you practicing on your own as well. Not just in my presence."

However, as she struggled to her feet, shaking all over, Weiss couldn't suppress a smile of pure elation. "Yes, master!" she bleated, completely overjoyed that she had not failed her sister, at least this once.

Weiss had so much talent and Winter knew that very well. It wouldn't be too long before she was one of the greatest huntresses' this world had ever seen. She'd be the hero of her story, and when the time came, she'd save them all. Of this, Winter had no doubt. It was just getting her there. Getting her to work, and then work harder. To push past her limits, to redefine what she thought she knew about semblance, about herself.

Winter was pushing her, but she was pushing her because she wanted Weiss to be better than she was. To be the agile, perfectly formed fighter she knew her sister was. She'd always known Weiss was going to be the true legacy of the family. It's why Winter had taken to the military to please her father. If one daughter was at least working for the family, maybe the other would get a more lenient parent. It had worked, and Weiss had argued her way into Beacon.

Beacon... Weiss had barely shown any signs of depression since Winter had come to talk to her. Perhaps it was that her words got through to her sister. Or maybe that Winter just wasn't around to see. Either way, the elder was proud to see her trying so hard to improve, so that next time she fought her foe… she'd end it.

"You did well today, Weiss. I want you to join me for dinner tonight."

"What? I m-mean, yes, master!" Then she allowed herself to truly think through the invitation. "Is... today's training over, master?" She didn't want to assume that just because the topic had changed to something else, that she was finished for the day.

"Do you have a pressing matter to attend to?" Winter asked, plain and simple.

The colour drained from Weiss's face. "No, master! I just wanted to know if I should still be addressing you formally."

"You may address me informally, but unless you have something better to do, there is no reason you shouldn't walk down to the infirmary, get patched up, and then continue your training. As I stated, I should not have to be present for you to train."

"Right, I... ooh..." Weiss sighed, drooping slightly. Now that the adrenaline was waning, she felt faint. Clearing her throat, she said, "I'll get a bandage on it and some juice and come back here. What..." Her voice became quite a bit more nervous. "What time should I join you for dinner?"

"Six." She replied. "There will be no need to bring your weapon; this will be a casual dinner. Have your order in no later than four for the cooks. And Weiss."

Winter addressed her while stopping at the door. "You did really well today. Just remember to do it, don't try. You overthink and make it harder for yourself. Relax. It's there. Just let it out."

"I will," she said with a satisfied smile, standing at attention until her sister left.

Then she staggered to one side and slumped against the nearest wall, closing her eyes while she caught her breath. That had taken a lot more out of her than she let on. Winter was right; she needed to summon more often, or she would never be able to utilise it properly in battle. A few minutes later, when she had caught her breath, she began to drag herself toward the infirmary.

~To Be Continued


End file.
